Is It Closing the Gap or Falling Into a Trap?

At the L.A. Marathon, where the women were given a 20-minute head start on the men and the first to the finish line received an additional $50,000, where's the math and fairness? With the best women's marathon time at about 2:15 and the men's about 2:05, why were they given 20 minutes if the difference is slightly more than 10 minutes?

Larry Bickmann

Thousand Oaks

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I agree 100% that women should be given the same opportunities and pay as men in today's world. However, I disagree that the requirements should be made easier or the rules changed so women can achieve their goals. And that's exactly what the organizers did by allowing the women an earlier start.

No matter how much The Times tried to sugarcoat this by throwing the term "innovation" around like a cheap suit, it's obvious that those in charge turned an event that's meant to promote good will, community involvement, competitive spirit and just plain good fun into a politically correct circus.

Oh, by the way. I wonder how many of those women who accepted the earlier start would put up with discrimination toward females in their workplace? I thought so.